School of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Creative Industries

Carnal Knowledge under Penitentiary Order: Female Convicts, Gender and Sexuality in Post-colonial Kenya

2026-02-19T07:19:16Z

Carnal Knowledge under Penitentiary Order: Female Convicts, Gender and Sexuality in Post-colonial Kenya John Ndungu Kungu Women incarceration disrupted conventional modes of reproduction and threatened reproductive justice, separated families and funneled children into foster care, restricted women's access to abortion and adequate pregnancy care, shackled women in childbirth, and incarcerated people during their prime reproductive years. Based on historical and ethnographic fieldwork in Langata women's prison, we explore the discourse of sex, reproductive health, and motherhood behind bars. We argue that across time and place, these semicarceral institutions extended the arms of the state to control women's perceived moral and sexual transgressions. The health needs of all prisoners, including women prisoners and their children in Kenya have drawn increasing attention over the past decade. Sexual tensions among females in African prisons have received little attention from researchers since prison studies in Africa tend to focus on the sexual relationships among male prisoners, especially the coercive nature of such relationships in male prisons. This paper, therefore, seeks to close this gap and examine the discourse of reproduction and sexuality in Langata Women's Prison.

Mapping Brain Lesions to Language deficits in Aphasia: Evidence from Kenyan Hospitals

2026-01-14T07:45:59Z

Mapping Brain Lesions to Language deficits in Aphasia: Evidence from Kenyan Hospitals Mercyrose J Jesang, Benard Kodak , Kenneth Odhiambo, Winfridah Wangui Njung'e , Beatrice Owiti , Silas O. Awuor Background: Aphasia, a neurological condition caused by left-hemisphere brain lesions, impairs language functions. Although lesion-linguistic deficit correlations are well documented in high-income countries, they remain understudied in resource-limited settings like Kenya where post-stroke rehabilitation is scarce. This study bridges this gap by analyzing lesion-symptom correlations in adults with aphasia, integrating clinical data with patient experiences. Methods: Using a mixed-methods correlational design, we assessed 36 aphasic adults from Tier four hospitals in Nakuru county, Kenyan healthcare system, selected via purposive and convenience sampling. Quantitative data was collected on lesion location using MRI/CT reports, and language deficits using standardized tests, and analyzed via chi-square tests and descriptive statistics to determine associations. Qualitative using semi-structured interviews with patients and clinicians, was thematically analyzed to identify recurring language impairment themes. Results: Brain lesion location strongly predicted the severity of aphasia symptoms (χ² = 18.24, *p* < 0.05). Specifically, Broca’s area lesions (38.9% of cases) correlated with expressive language impairments (agrammatism, reduced fluency), while Wernicke’s area lesions (30.6%) linked to receptive language deficits (impaired comprehension, paraphasias). Global lesions (19.4%) caused mixed deficits. Variability in speech production despite similar lesion locations highlighted the `potential influence of cognitive reserve and premorbid language ability. Thematic analysis revealed syntactic disruptions, semantic retrieval struggles, and social isolation due to communication barriers. Clinical observations suggested positive impacts of early intervention and structured rehabilitation on language outcomes. Conclusions: This study confirms Broca’s/Wernicke’s lesion-deficit patterns in aphasia, supporting global psycholinguistic theories while revealing local rehabilitation disparities and offer valuable insights for clinical diagnosis and tailored rehabilitation strategies in Kenya. Findings underscore the need early, lesion-specific individualized speech therapy and assistive communication approaches to address the heterogeneity of aphasia symptoms to optimize recovery.

Deep state in Kenya: Insights on an amorphous impediment to common good, 1902-2022

2026-01-09T07:25:12Z

Deep state in Kenya: Insights on an amorphous impediment to common good, 1902-2022 Philip Kipkemboi Chemelil Historical evidence consistently shows that Kenyans since colonial period have yearned for economic and political emancipation. Although the country seems to have achieved substantial prosperity compared to its peers in East and Central Africa, its full potential has been frustrated by an amorphous entity commonly referred in Kenya as “Deep State”, “system”, “sirkal” or siri kali (deep secret), “monster”, “dragon”, “mafia” or “leviathan” that is ill bent to benefit some few individuals at the expense of the wider society through corruption and electoral fraud. The journey has been a painful struggle foiled by the machinations of a hidden hand. The paper takes the reader on a historical journey that confirms the existence of a shadowy entity that has all along frustrated Kenyans from giving themselves the desired political leadership and prosperity. The questions that were asked in this paper are, is the deep state real in Kenya and how can it be annihilated? The study discovered that “Deep State” is an amorphous fluid entity that morphs depending on prevailing circumstances and interests of those in political power, high ranks of the civil service, the judiciary, the police, businesspeople, and their clientele. The study divulged entities that can completely extinguish the Deep State in Kenya for the sake of the country’s political freedom and prosperity as pronounced by its freedom fighters at independence.

Construction of Gender Asymmetry Through Figurative Language in English Course Books of Kenyan Secondary Schools

2025-12-03T09:44:19Z

Construction of Gender Asymmetry Through Figurative Language in English Course Books of Kenyan Secondary Schools Everlyne Onkwani Jane Ombati Benard Kodak Gender bias in texts is expressed through figurative language choices. It is generally observed that language is deployed to favour masculinity as opposed to femininity since the selection of images and names denoting the genders express disparities. This study focused on finding out the implications of the gendered connotations as expressed by use of metaphors, personification and similes in English language course books of Kenyan secondary schools. A descriptive research design was employed to study gendered images in thirteen (13) passages that were purposively sampled from four course books recommended for study in secondary schools. The texts were analysed and discussed using Mills (1995) Feminist Stylistics Theory. Findings indicate that in the course books, naming for genders is done from a stereotypical point of view. Proper names for personified. Source domains such as used goods, bowl and a flower derogatorily refer to women’s sexuality. Meaphors relating to the physical appearance of men in the sense that gendered metaphorical expressions highlight male-female sex differences, support male dominance, discriminate women, convey offensive attitudes and women’s metaphorical mappings are more varied as compared to men’s. Findings also show that females are equated to objects to diminish them. Terminologies such as china-ware, glass, goddess- like, rising sun and evergreen hills comment about the physical attractiveness of a woman that are desirable to men.